Faja-Pelay hunter's path

Located in the Ordesa canyonThe Faja de Pelay is a stunning place that hiking enthusiasts will love. The Faja de Pelay is within the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park. The hiking routes will allow you to go deep into the Ordesa valley and contemplate landscapes of incredible beauty.

A proposal for a complete experience is the circular route to the Cola de Caballo through the Faja de Pelay. This excursion can take all day, as it has a total distance of 20.1 kilometres and without stops, it is estimated that it can be covered in 6 hours and 45 minutes.

Although this excursion is perfectly signposted and in a good state of conservation, it is considered to be of considerable difficulty, due to its length and the first section, which consists of two kilometres of a steep zigzagging ascent. Precisely in this section, called the Senda de los Cazadores (Hunters' Path), there are logs and stones that require attention. However, all these difficulties will be rewarded by the beautiful scenery that you will be able to contemplate at all times.

It is recommended to make the excursion in spring, summer and autumn. It is not advisable to visit the Faja de Pelay and the Senda de los Cazadores after heavy rainfall, nor is it advisable to visit them if there is snow or ice on the path.

Itinerary

The starting point is the Ordesa meadow. From there, take the Senda de los Cazadores (Hunters' Path), which has a demanding climb with a gradient of 650 metres in just two kilometres. Once you have passed this tough part, you will reach the Calcilarruego viewpoint.

In Calcilarruego, a small hunters' refuge, you will find a conditioned space that, thanks to its platform, becomes a viewpoint. From here you can see the Carriata and Cotatuero cirques and the Tozal del Mallo.

From there, the route advances towards the Faja de Pelay on flat terrain or a slight descent, crossing pine forests and meadows full of edelweiss. The route will take you to the cirque of Soaso and the Cola de Caballo waterfall and into the Ordesa valley along one of its southern ledges.

On the way back to the Ordesa meadow you can take the route along the bottom of the valley. There you will see several waterfalls such as the Gradas de Soaso, the Estrecho waterfall and the Arripas waterfall.

It is advisable to do the route in the proposed direction, to avoid the dangerous descent of the Senda de los Cazadores.

Faja de Pelay, Ordesa valley / Photo: Abel Cerezuela Sanjulián, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons